Brad and Angelina's Chopper Controversy

Fri., Oct. 27, 2006 12:33 PM PDT by Sarah Hall

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's latest flight of fancy has landed them in hot water.

The celebrity couple had been riding in a helicopter that made an unauthorized landing at a posh hotel in Jodhpur, India, on Monday, authorities said.

Pitt and Jolie's rented ride reportedly touched down at the Umed Bhawan Palace hotel's private helipad after claiming it needed to make an emergency landing, the Times of India reported.

An official said that the duo neglected to get prior approval from the district administration, which is mandatory in order to land a helicopter in a civil area.

"We are looking into the matter and making inquiries," Jodhpur official Bhura Ram Delu told the Times of India.

"After speaking with the Umed Bhawan Palace [hotel] management, the district administration would now ask Jodhpur's air traffic control for its report," Delu said.

Officials said they would have remained in the dark about the couple's flight patterns, had their movements not generated such intense media interest.

It was unclear whether the Jolie-Pitts would be penalized for the illegal landing.

The couple has had an eventful few weeks in India, where they have been shooting A Mighty Heart, the film based on the life of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.

Their security team has had its hands full trying to restrain overeager paparazzi from infringing on the stars' personal space. Earlier this month, one of their bodyguards was caught on film choking a shutterbug who refused to lower his camera.

Another photographer working for the Associated Press claimed he was punched in the face and threatened at gunpoint by security guards on the set of A Mighty Heart after he handed Jolie his business card through the window of a taxi.

Local police reportedly ramped up protection efforts for Jolie after a car in her convoy sideswiped a motorcyclist while trying to outrun swarms of press. Though initial reports placed the actress in the car at the time of the crash, it was later reported that the vehicle was carrying crew members from the film.

Meanwhile, a series of completely unsubstantiated media reports have suggested that the couple has been looking into adding to their family while in India and have already put in an application at an orphanage.

Per unnamed sources, said tyke would supposedly accompany the family home by Christmas and would bear the name India, regardless of sex. However, nothing has been confirmed and these reports appear to be based purely on speculation.